Romantic Promise and Actual Practice

This should be a really romantic week, today being Valentine's Day and Saturday being our Wedding Anniversary and, what's more, my beloved has the whole week off work. Of course things never go fully according to plan; this evening we were due to dine with Helen's sister Janet and Graham (her spouse) but unfortunately, owing to the erratic behaviour of my health - with special reference to the digestive tract - it seemed much safer, yesterday, to cancel that arrangement.

So, what romantic treats has today brought. It was wonderful to enjoy more of my essential morning lie-in snuggled up to my beloved, who has usually headed off to work about three hours before my routine emergence from the duvet realm.

Other events were not quite so romantic; a visit to the dentist revealed a dental abscess, for which I'm now taking a course of antibiotics, whilst later in the day a further visit to my GP's surgery was in order.Tomorrow, I'll be headed off to the hospital for a few more blood samples to be taken, prior to a further GP appointment (arranged for next week).

No Contest

The greatest privilege of the Christmas period, apart from celebration of the Christ child, has been the opportunity to luxuriate in my beloveds presence 24 hours a day for the past ten days! Tomorrow, I’ll be back to my solitary existence, through the daylight hours, as Helen returns to the world of paid employment.

Of course, New Years day being a public holiday, I will once again be blessed with her presence on Tuesday and, that will provide another opportunity to demonstrate that it’s impossible to have too much of a good thing!

For the past few days, ma belle amoureuse has had the opportunity to catch up on some much needed rest, but one has to admit she can’t manage my (exhaustion imposed) twelve hours bed rest per diem!

There are some things in which there’s quite simply no competition.

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P.S. A posting for 26 December, CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS, can be found on 'Mal's Murmurings'.

Bank Holiday Monday

Although my sole occupation is “pacing myself”, no formal employment, I still enjoy a Bank Holiday. When I was in formal employment, I not infrequently worked on those days and, alternatively, would remain at home rather than follow the lemmings to overcrowded beauty spots. The real treat, these days, is that it provides me with an extra day in the company of my beloved; this is the most precious aspect of my life, I always feel more complete when I’m sharing my time and affection with ma belle Helene.

We’ve managed to do a little sorting out in the house, re-arranging the bedroom which we intend to move into when we finally get round to ordering a new bed. I also managed to cut back some of the briars at the wildlife end of the garden whilst Helen gathered a few more brambles. Blackberries and apples are both available in abundance this year; it gives ma belle amoureuse a chance to practise her baking skills, preparing fruit sponges and crumbles.

The day seems to have passed all too swiftly.

I rejoice in this day the Lord has made.

No More Buts Day

Today, 6 August, is a significant day in the life. Firstly, it’s the anniversary of the day when the horrific power of the atom was released on Hiroshima, it is also the Feast of the Transfiguration but, a more immediately important event in my life occurred just seven years ago today! On that day my beloved and I got engaged. To be totally honest, it wasn’t formally an engagement; it was a day on which I said “no more buts”. Perhaps this is an all too familiar saga, all those times when I expressed my love and, yes I do want to spend all of my time with you, but …. The thought of someone committing the rest of their life to me, that’s truly awesome!

Anyway, the 6th August 1999 will henceforth be remembered as NO MORE BUTS DAY! Helen’s eldest daughter kept pestering us to know whether we were engaged yet, she had it all planned out for us, so from that day forth the answer was, “yes”. For Beth, it was like a confirmation that we were indeed an item, for me more the awesome prospect of an impending marriage ceremony a mere seven months down the line. On reflection though, that tying of the knot is the best thing that ever happened to me; this middle aged chap, who’d been around a bit, had finally overcome the fear of sole / soul commitment. At times I dreamt of finding a wealthy widow, to secure me in my old age, but to chance to meet a widow who didn’t quite fulfil the ‘wealthy’ aspect, that really wasn’t on my agenda.

As soon as I met my beloved, she was quite puzzled that I should hug all the other ladies, young or old, but not her. I suppose I sensed something different here and a hug can be so wrongly misinterpreted. The real magical buzz occurred when I held her hand; funny old world, eh? This was going to entail the transition from a hug of love and friendship to the full “to have and to hold”.

Today is a significant day in my life!